Editorial: Mirror Pond decision depends on the dam

Central Oregon abounds in pristine river scenes, where water follows natural paths edged by marshy areas and riparian shrubbery.

In
downtown Bend, though, for decades we’ve had something else: an urban
pond, a landscaped place, partly lined with retaining walls and
walkways.

We’d like to keep it.

It’s not that we don’t value
the natural, but we like the urban landscape as well. Bend ought to be
able to have both, and Mirror Pond is our special exception. Some who
share our view have called it the city’s crown jewel.

We’ve argued
for dredging, even if it’s expensive, even if it has to be done again
in 20 years. We’ve argued that people would likely be willing to pay for
it if given a straightforward choice. Without a vote, or at least a
scientific survey, though, we can’t be sure that’s true.

Instead
the Mirror Pond Steering Committee launched the current series of
meetings and questionnaires and consultant’s renderings. Lots of
opinions have been expressed, but we still have no idea what the
majority in Bend wants and would support.

Meanwhile, the process
focused attention on a critical factor: The dam that created the pond a
century ago isn’t a sure thing going forward.

Pacific Power owns
the dam, and although there appear to be no plans to remove it in the
short-term, there’s no assurance of its long-term survival. It’s
entirely possible it won’t make business sense for the company to
preserve it at some point.

We can’t argue for spending millions
dredging the pond unless we know the dam will be there long enough to
justify it. That’s where the focus of attention should be, not on
alternatives that turn Mirror Pond into one more natural river scene.